iOpen My Eyes
by ober22
Summary: Carly gets dumped and after awhile, her relationship with Freddie starts to change. Total Creddie. Going to be multiple chapters eventually.
1. Rainy Days and Broken Hearts

A/N: I'm not sure if this is even going to be any good, but any reviews would be awesome, even if they're negative, I'm just trying to figure out if I'm any good at writing.

I do not own iCarly or any of the characters.

iOpen My Eyes

Chapter 1: Rainy Days and Broken Hearts

CPOV

I knew that when Ben walked up to me at the end of the school day that something was off with him. He didn't give me a hug or anything, like he does every other day. He just grabbed my hand and looked at me. And then, he said the four words that are basically the end to any relationship. 'We need to talk.' I was upset, I'll admit, but I also wasn't surprised. He had been acting distant for the past couple days, but I hadn't wanted to pry. It hadn't been a big scene. He had admitted to me that he had begun to feel strongly about someone else. Still, I was surprised to find that as I began to walk home, I was crying. It was as if the weather knew what I was going through, because suddenly, when I was half way home with about a half mile to go, it began to pour. By the time I made it in the front door, I was sobbing, drenched to my skin, and simply miserable.

I hurried through the lobby, pointedly ignoring Lewbert's high pitched squealing as he yelled at me for dripping on his floor. I decided to take the stairs because it would give me longer to pull myself together. My brother Spencer had devoloped a strong sense of when something was bothering me, or when I was keeping something from him. I hadn't seen what I looked like yet, but I'm sure I wasn't looking to good at the moment. I hoped that the rain would be a good enough excuse for the mascara that I was sure was dripping down my cheeks, and the cold an excuse for my red eyes and nose.

I started to reach for my key in my backpack, but I decided at the last second that I needed a few more minutes to pull myself together a little. I slid slowly down the wall outside of the apartment I shared with Spencer. I tried to dry my face somewhat, at least of the tears, but I don't really know how successful a job I was doing. As I sat there for a few minutes, collecting myself, I looked up, and saw Freddie's apartment. Looking at his door, I remembered how Freddie used to stand on a table watching out his peephole, waiting for me to come home. I had a fleeting thought, wishing that he were looking out there now, and that he would come sit with me. Not that he would need the table anymore, since his growth spurt this summer. He had gone from standing on a table to towering over me in just a few months. But still, it would have been nice to talk to someone about it, and try to calm myself down before finally facing Spencer.

After another ten minutes, I finally dragged myself up off the floor, fished my key out of my backpack, and unlocked the door. I tried to keep my face clear of any emotions, because I knew that Spencer could read me like a book. Unfortunately when I walked in, Spencer was right in the middle of the living room, building his latest sculpture. His latest project was a sculpture of a chicken, and from the looks of it, he had a lot of work to do.

She breathed a small sigh of relief to see that he was completely caught up in his work, and she started to walk quickly towards the stairs. However, her sigh must have been louder than she thought, because all of a sudden he snapped out of his trance and turned around to look at her.

"Woah, Carls! What happened to you? You look like you went swimming!" He shouted in her direction.

"It's nothing Spencer, I decided to walk home today instead of getting a ride with Sam's mom, and then it started pouring half way home."

Spencer nodded knowingly.

"Catching a cold does sound like a safer alternative to driving home with Sam's mom." Carly tried to smile, but she just ended up shrugging.

"Why don't you go run upstairs and take a nice hot shower, and try to stop that cold in it's tracks," He suggested, and although a hot shower sounded really good right now, because I was freezing, I was also very relieved because he had given me a perfect escape.

I agreed with him, and started to walk up the stairs to my bedroom. When I was halfway up, I heard Spencer call my name, and i made the mistake of turning around.

"Yeah?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady and even.

"Are you okay, kiddo? You seem a little quiet?" He narrowed his eyes and I knew that he was on to me, so I had to make sure when I answered him that I was totally void of emotion.

"I'm fine Spencer. Just really cold. You need to stop worrying so much, you're starting to sound like Mrs. Benson." I crossed my fingers behind my back that my face didn't betray me and flash my feelings.

"I guess you're right." He said with a laugh, and turned his full attention back to his sculpture.

Carly turned again, and raced up the stairs as fast as she could, before he changed his mind. She was finally safe in her room, and she collapsed on her bed.

FPOV

I know that I shouldn't be looking out the peephole. I don't want Carly to think that I'm stalking her or anything, like she used to tease me about when we were younger. I told her that I stopped doing it years ago. I don't do it every day anymore, just sometimes when I haven't spent a lot of time with her. It's been a long time since I've burst out of my apartment like I used to whenever she would approach her door.

It's really hard to like someone who doesn't like you back. At first, I was hurt that Carly didn't like me back, and I thought that maybe there was something wrong with me. Then I realized that maybe if I asked her out enough or did enough nice things for her, that eventually she might start to feel the same way about me. It didn't work. I decided that I should stop bugging her about going on a date with me, and focus on our friendship. So for the last two years, I've been trying to be the best friend I can. I listen to her when she needs someone to talk to, and I try to be there if she goes through a hard day, or a break-up, even though it hurts me. See, as soon as I let go of my stupid crush, our friendship became really strong. But then, something changed. I fell in love with her. I know that sounds stupid and cliche, but as soon as I let go of my feelings, we started talking about any and everything, for hours everyday. We can tell each other anything, except for the one thing that I could never say out loud.

Sam teases me all the time, if I say anything nice to Carly, about how 'I love her,' and whenever she does, I laugh it off or roll my eyes, but deep down it hurts because it's true. I really do love Carly. That's why I was so upset when I saw her out my peephole that day. She came down the hall, soaking wet from the rain, and she looked completely miserable. I looked at her face, and realized that her face wasn't only wet from the rain. She was crying, or she had been crying recently. It took all my strength not to rip my door open, go out into the hall and demand to know who or what had made her cry. For right now, I couldn't do a thing.

It broke my heart to watch her cry, so I turned away from the door, and walked to my room. I'm sitting on my bed thinking of a small way that I could make Carly feel even a little bit better, because it makes me miserable to see her upset like that. I decided that if I go to Groovie Smoothies and get smoothies for the three of us for the web cast, it won't seem like I'm singling Carly out, and it won't be obvious why I got them. There's an hour until the show is scheduled to start, and maybe if I'm lucky there won't be a line at Groovie Smoothie, and I can have a few precious minutes alone with the girl of my dreams before Sam comes. I grab my jacket and head down the hall, completely ignoring my crazy mother as she screams something about catching pneumonia. I open my front door and begin my walk to Groovie Smoothie. Nothing else matters right now except making Carly happy. I'm on a mission.


	2. Window Seat

A/N: This Chapter is an awakening of sorts for Carly. Not necessarily about Freddie. More about life in general. Hope you're enjoying! As usual, comments of any kind are greatly appreciated.

Chapter 2: Window Seat

CPOV

I finally dragged myself off my bed, and into the shower. I knew I had to keep it short, because when I'm upset I tend to take hour long showers, and I didn't want Spencer to be any more suspicious. After walking to my room, I put on my favorite sweatpants, and a huge sweatshirt that I had borrowed from Freddie awhile ago. When I was upset, oversized warm clothes always helped me feel a little better. I wrapped my favorite blanket around me and walked over to my window seat. I sat down, and stared out the window. The raindrops ran down my window pane, and as I watched them race each other to the bottom, my own tears began to fall again.

A part of me didn't really understand why I was so upset. Ben and I had only been going out for two months, so it wasn't as if we were in love or ready to get married. As I sat there, it finally dawned on me why this had made me so upset. It seemed like I was always getting dumped. Was it because I picked guys that were wrong for me? Or was it something about me that just made them change their minds about how they felt about me? One thing was for sure. I was done dating boys just to have a boyfriend. I needed to start looking for something real.

I had been sitting on my window seat for a long time, so much so that I had lost track of exactly how long. I was mesmerized by the way the raindrops slid along the cool glass, and as I watched, two individual raindrops came together to form a single, larger raindrop. Though the act was simple, it made me realize that they had found what I didn't seem to be able to find. My other half, someone who would complete me in a sense.

Suddenly, I heard a quiet knock on my door, and I was so involved in watching the raindrops that I nearly fell off the window seat in shock. After a second, I heard a voice that I couldn't have been happier to hear.

"Carls? It's Freddie. Can I come in?" His soft voice was as soothing to me as the raindrops had been.

I was immediately torn about whether or not I should let him in. I desperately wanted to talk to someone about the whole Ben thing, and my idea of looking for something real. Spencer was tricky because whenever I started to talk about boys or something that was stressing me out, he would make up some art project he had to start working on, or say that he forgot something at the store. Sam would listen for awhile, but eventually she would start daydreaming about meat, usually of the ham variety, and I would be forced to stop talking so she could go raid my fridge, or run to the market across the street. It was obvious that she had other things on her mind. That brings us to Freddie. He's the _absolute best _listener I have ever met, and I feel bad that I don't tell him how amazing it is to be his friend more often. He actually listens, and asks questions. He doesn't just sit there with a blank look on his face, and shake or nod his head every so often. I have a feeling it's because he lives with just his mother, and her sensitive side rubs off on him.

The only downside about venting to Freddie is that I always feel guilty, because I know how he feels about me. Most of my problems are about boyfriends, or boys I have crushes on, and when I talk about them, I can see the light vanish from his eyes, and his smile dissappears. I know that it makes him upset when I get dumped, or when I'm having a bad day, so I always try to put on a game face if I'm upset, if only to prevent a little bit of his pain.

The thing about my relationship with Freddie is that we have such a strong friendship that I wouldn't want anything to change about it. I know that he has a crush on me, or had a crush on me for a long time. Lately I've noticed that he hasn't tried to 'flirt' with me. He hadn't asked me out in over six months, something he used to do weekly. I can't help but think that he's moved on. I just hope that he doesn't move on from our friendship, because that would hurt me more than any breakup possibly could. We'd been talking a lot lately about our lives, and the things going on around us, but he was acting kind of strange. A lot of times during our talks he would randomly space out and when I'd ask him what he was thinking about, he would just blame it on being tired, or something equally as vague.

"Carly?" I hear my name again, repeated by Freddie, because this time I'm the one who's spaced out.

I quickly surveyed myself in the mirror, and realized that I looked completely horrible. I was sure that even Freddie, who frequently told me I looked beautiful no matter what, would probably gasp in horror at what I looked like. I scrambled over to my dresser and grabbed my brush quickly trying to get the knots out.

"One sec, Freddie. I'll be right there." I shouted, deciding that my hair would have to be enough of an improvement.

I walked to the door, taking a deep breath, and opened the door to see my soaking wet best friend in a rain coat, carrying a tray of smoothies.

.


	3. Web Cast?

A/N: I don't own iCarly.

Chapter 3

Web Cast?

FPOV

As soon as I saw Carly, I knew she was still upset about whatever she way crying about this afternoon. I also knew that I was technically in the dark about everything, so I put on my game face. I had trekked through the streets to get to Groovie Smoothie, and for once, there wasn't a huge line, although I had to yell at T-Bo about twelve times, telling him that I did not want any of his bananas on a stick. I ran the whole way back to Bushwell Plaza. There was a half hour before iCarly was supposed to start. Sam usually showed up with less than five minutes to spare so I figure that I would have a good amount of time to get something out of Carly about what was bothering her.

After noticing how upset she looked, my eyes dropped to the sweatshirt she was wearing, my sweatshirt. I had given it to her late one night when we were talking on the fire escape. I started to wonder if she wore it often, and then I realized that there were more important things than a sweatshirt. I looked up and locked my eyes with hers. I could see the pain that she hid there, even though I knew that she was probably trying her hardest to keep it all locked up inside.

"Hey," I said, quietly, not wanting to say too much at first. I smiled at her, and she smiled back, but I noticed that it wasn't the smile of hers that I loved. It wasn't quite as big, and her eyes were flat, and full of sorrow.

"Hi," she began. "What are you doing here?"

I looked at her, a little confused. Was she that upset that she didn't remember that iCarly was supposed to start in about 15 minutes?

"Carly, we have the web cast in 15 minutes...Sam should be here soon. I just figured we could have smoothies tonight."

While I was saying this, I could see her facial expressions change. Her face when from confusion to a blank stare to a wide eyed horror in about seven seconds.

"Oh my god, Freddie! I'm not ready! I look terrible, and fifteen minutes isn't enough to get my act together. I've been so preoccupied that I completely forgot what day it was!" She was losing it a little bit, and I saw a single tear fall down her cheek.

I put the smoothies on her desk and walked over to her. I couldn't tell if she was crying because she was overwhelmed or if she was crying because of what had happened before, but honestly it didn't matter. She was crying, and I needed to make it stop, before I said something that gave me away. I couldn't let her know how I felt about her. Not now, when she was so obviously upset. I wanted to wipe the tear off her cheek, but I didn't want her to run away. I decided that a hug would be a safe bet, and thankfully, she wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her head into my neck. Even at a time like this, her being this close to me quickened my pulse, and I hoped that she wouldn't notice. I felt so guilty for being happy at a time when she was so clearly miserable. Her hands squeezed my shirt, and I could feel her shaking.

"Carls? What's wr-" I began, until I heard a noise from behind us. Sam had arrived in her usual rude fashion.

"Hey Carly! Fredward...didn't bring mommy with you tonight?" Sam had been here for five seconds, and already she was getting on my nerves.

Sam looked at Carly, taking in her oversized clothes, and wet hair, and gave her a weird look.

"Did I miss the part about this episode being a pajama party? Because if I did, I'm going to have to borrow some pj's Carl."

Sam did have a good point. There was only five minutes until the web cast was supposed to go live, and there was no way Carly was going to be ready. I looked over at her, noticing that she had moved a good distance away from me when Sam had entered the room, just another thing for me to be mad at Sam for. She wiped her eyes before Sam had a good chance to look at her, and started to talk.

"Sorry guys, I've just been having a rough day, I think that the pajama theme sounds good, because I'm just really not in the mood to get changed."

The next couple minutes were a blur. I was ordered, by Sam of course, to go upstairs and get the set and all my equiptment ready and she would handle Carly and herself. I wasn't sure if I trusted Sam, but when I looked at Carly, she just nodded at me, so up I went. There was a minute left by the time everything was ready to go, and the girls still hadn't come from downstairs. I was starting to get worried when all of a sudden the door burst open, and in they came. Sam had borrowed Carly's favorite pair of footie pajamas, the ones with the butterflies on them, but Carly still had my sweatshirt on. Once again I had to snap myself out of whatever world my brain was in. They had both put their hair in pigtails, and Carly looked a little better, but her eyes were still far away and distant.

The show went surprisingly smooth, although I had to admit I was watching Carly the whole time, making sure that she was at least surviving this whole ordeal. After the show was over, Sam said something about her mom having a ham at home. I don't think I've ever seen her move that fast before. But then I realized that it was just me and Carly. Alone. I didn't know if it was the right time or not to discuss what I had noticed. While I was shutting off my laptop and my camera, Carly had sat down on the swing that we had installed for one of our web casts. I looked at her, and she wasn't swinging, just sitting there staring at her feet.

I felt weird just coming out and saying it, so I decided to try and back into it. I turned and started to walk over to her, and just as I was about to ask her if she was okay, she looked right at me.

"Freddie? Do you think we could take a walk or something? Or maybe go onto the fire escape? I really need to talk to someone. I know that you probably don't want to be stu-"

"Carly," I said, cutting her off. "We can do whatever you want. If it stopped raining, we could go out to the fire escape. I'll go check, and be right back."

I ran out the door of the studio, and out to the fire escape. Thankfully, it had stopped raining. I pulled out my cell phone, and quickly texted Carly that I had to run home for a second but that I would meet her at the fire escape in fifteen minutes. I had a plan. I just hoped that it would work.


	4. On the Fire Escape

A/N: I don't own iCarly. This chapter might be a little weird, but I have a plan and I'm hoping it turns out alright. Thanks for the reviews! I feels awesome to know that someone actually took the time to read it, and didn't hate it.

Chapter 4

On the Fire Escape

CPOV

After the web cast had finally ended, I let out the breath that I had been unconsciously holding the whole time. I hoped that my game face would be enough for the viewers. I prayed that I could fool them better than I was fooling Freddie. Every time I looked at him, I could see the concern in his eyes, written across his face. Sam as usual was oblivious to anything that wasn't dealing with food. I made up my mind then and there to ask Freddie if we could talk later. He agreed, and ran downstairs to check if it was raining or not. I really wanted to use the fire escape, because no one would bother us there. As I waited for Freddie to come back, I sank down onto my bean bag chair, and let my mind begin to wrap around everything that had happened that day. I stared out the window until I heard my phone buzzing on the floor beside me. I had a text from Freddie saying that it wasn't raining anymore, and that he would meet me on the fire escape in fifteen minutes. His text confused me a little because I wasn't sure what he would need fifteen minutes for, but I let it go. I used my fifteen minutes to stare out the window some more, trying to organize my mind, about everything that I wanted to tell Freddie. I must have really been out of it, because I heard a knock on the studio door, and looked up to see Freddie standing there. I got up off my bean bag, and walked over to him. He wrapped his arms around me, something that surprised me, because lately he hadn't been acting that way.

"Hey," he said, in the same soft voice that he always used when I was upset. It had a way of calming me down, even when I was on the verge of insanity, as I was now.

"Hi..." I started, looking down at my feet. "I'm sorry that I'm late, I was just thinking about..." Freddie cut me off.

"It's okay Carls, I can see you've got a lot going on in that head of yours. Let's go talk."

The two of us walked down the stairs and out to the fire escape. Freddie held the door for me, like the true gentleman he was. I knew that one day he was going to make some lucky girl very happy. When I was on the fire escape, I turned around to face him. He was turned away from me, shutting the door, and I noticed a backpack slung over his shoulder that I hadn't noticed before. I must have been a lot more out of it than I thought.

"What's up with the backpack?"

"Well, I figured that it was going to be pretty cold and wet outside, so I grabbed some blankets, and I made some hot chocolate. I figured we'd be out here for awhile, since you never shut up." He was making fun of me, and I couldn't help but smile. Just another one of his amazing qualities. He could always make me smile, no matter how bad things seemed.

FPOV

I had made her smile. Even though it was just a small smile, this time it had reached her eyes. When she smiled like that, it made me realize just how much she meant to me, and how beautiful she really was. It also gave me a little burst of confidence that I had been the one to put it there.

"I'm glad you're smiling," I told her, and I truly meant it.

I unzipped my backpack, laid one blanket out on the floor of the fire escape, and handed the other one to her, which she wrapped around her quickly. She shivered a little, and all of a sudden I realized just how cold it was out here. All I had on was a T-shirt, but I figured that I should man up, and not let her know that I too was shivering. She sat down on the blanket, and I poured the hot chocolate into the two mugs I had grabbed from the kitchen, much to the dismay of my mother. She had given me a lecture about how the mugs would break and stab my back through my bag. Sometimes I didn't know where she even came up with these things. I shook my head, trying to get the image of my mother out of my head, and looked over at the girl of my dreams. Too bad that's the only place she'd ever be mine. She was holding her hot chocolate, and staring out at the skyline, the same look on her face that I had seen when I walked into the studio before.

"So, what did you want to talk about Carly?" She jumped when I spoke, clearly having drifted back into her dreamland.

She looked at me with her beautiful brown eyes starting to glisten with tears. It literally tore my heart in half. I lowered myself down to sit next to her, and tentatively put my hand on her shoulder, not wanting to invade her personal space. She sniffled a little bit, and put her head on my shoulder. That was enough to send my heart into overdrive. It happened every time that she was close to me, and it embarrassed me. I could hear her breath catch as she drew in the cold night air. She was still crying, and I decided that maybe it was best for me to just sit here with her for the time being. After a minute, she sniffled again, but then began to speak.

"Today, after school Ben broke up with me." She said, and looked up at me, as a tear slowly slid down her cheek. "I walked home in the rain, crying, even though I wasn't all that upset we broke up. But then I got home, and I realized that I wasn't just upset about Ben. I was upset that I can't find a guy that will stay with me. Every time I start to date someone they either break up with me or act like idiots until I have to break up with them. I want something real, Freddie. Something that will last for more than a month or two."

When she had started talking about something real, I wanted to interrupt her, and tell her that I, Fredward Benson, would be her something real. Forever. As she said these words, all I could do was nod, because I was afraid that if I started talking, my voice would be shaking, or I would end up blurting out the words that I didn't think she could handle. I wanted to tell Carly that I loved her, I had for a while. I just didn't think that now was a good time, especially knowing how she felt about me. She had always told me, 'I love you, but I'm not _in love _with you.' She would always apologize at how cliche it was, but at least I knew that she wasn't leading me on. As I was deep in thought, she shifted her body just a little, and it snapped me back to reality, and the realization that she had stopped talking.

"Well, Carls-" I began, and then of course, my phone started to ring. Carly sat up, pulling herself from my shoulder, dissapointing me greatly. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, cursing whoever was calling me during my private time with Carly. Of course it would be my mother. I debated whether or not I should answer it, but then I realized that if I didn't, she would probably burst out onto the fire escape in a few minutes.

"Hi, Mom. What do you need?" I answer, rolling my eyes at Carly, trying to get a smile out of her. The corner of her perfect mouth turned up a little, but it wasn't the smile I wanted to see. I listened to my mom yelling about the tick bath that she had ready for me. When I had assured her that I'd be there in a few minutes, I hung up the phone, and shoved it back into my pocket. I had to tell Carly that I needed to leave, but how could I leave her at a time like this, when she really needed me. I couldn't let her down. Not when I wanted her to feel the same way about me as I had felt for her all these years. It was too much for me to handle. I felt like crying, but that definitely wouldn't help anything. I looked down at her and tried my best to keep it together.

"I have to go Carls. I'm really sorry, but my tick bath is ready, and you know how my mom enjoys our time together." That got a laugh out of her. Maybe my mother's interruption wasn't a total disaster. "I can try and escape after my bath if you want. I'll sneak out, and bring some more hot chocolate."

She thought about my proposition for a minute, and then nodded at me. "You'd really sneak out after your tick bath for me?"

"Of course I would. I'd do anything for you Carly. I hope you know that..." I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth.

"I know Freddie. And I do appreciate it. I know I don't always tell you, but I know." She leaned towards me and my mind began to race. Was she going to kiss me? What was going on? But then, her lips gently touched my cheeks, and with her gesture came mixed emotions. On one hand, she had never done anything like that, but on the other, I just wanted it to be so much more. I knew it could be so much more, if she would just give me the chance. I managed a small smile, and stood up, leaving her with the blankets. I took the thermos with me, knowing that I had promised her more when I returned. I told her that I'd be back later, opened the door, and began the walk to my apartment.


	5. Time to Think

A/N This chapter is going to be mostly from a general point of view, and it's going to be the beginning of Carly and Freddie's changing relationship. Hope you like it! : )

I don't own iCarly.

Chapter 5

Time to Think

Freddie trudged through Carly's apartment, opened the door, and walked across the hall. He pulled his key out, because his mother kept their door locked at all times. He entered the apartment, and was greeted by his frantic mother, telling him that his tick bath was getting cold, and that if he waited any longer the treatment wouldn't work. He rolled his eyes, but obeyed her because he knew how things could get if he even tried to resist or protest against her maniacal wishes. He didn't even bother asking why he was still taking tick baths. She would respond with her usual 'Well you haven't gotten any ticks yet, so the baths must be working.' He walked into the bathroom, slamming the door a little more forcefully than he needed to, but he had to protest in some way.

While Freddie was taking his tick bath, Carly had relocated herself to her room. She had finished her hot chocolate, and brought her mug and the blankets from Freddie in with her. She had been really dissapointed when Mrs. Benson had called Freddie, because she had finally calmed herself down enough to talk to him. He was coming back later, and she was glad that she had finally told him how much she appreciated his friendship. She was sure that he appreciated hearing it. She was still in Freddie's sweatshirt, and wrapped in his blanket. She sat on her bed, in the mound of pillows that she liked to have. Her mind was still racing, going over her day. She soon found that she wasn't really thinking about Ben. She had seen the forgotten smoothies left on her desk, and she had started to think about Freddie, and how truly lucky she was to have him in her life. He really would do anything for her, including sneaking out of his house, past his crazy mother just so he could sit there with her and talk. She knew that most people didn't have friends like that, and she made a promise to herself that she would do whatever it took to keep him close. She didn't know how long Freddie's tick baths usually lasted, because they were a very sensitive subject for him. She understood that he was embarrassed by his mothers antics, and as his friend, she knew that it was best to let the unspoken be. Besides, Sam instigated his mommy issues enough for both of them.

Freddie hadn't actually taken his tick bath that night. He had locked the door of the bathroom in case his mother tried to come in and investigate, as she sometimes still did. Instead, he had sat on the floor, against the tub, thinking about Carly. He needed her to know that he could be her something real, but at the same time, their friendship was so strong at this point, that he didn't want to go spilling his feelings just yet. He needed her to realize how good they would be together. He needed her to love him. No, not just love him. He needed her to be in love with him too. As that thought crossed his mind, he shook his head. He knew that Carly being in love with him was never going to happen, and it would be a lot easier on him if stopped acting like him and Carly could ever be more than friends. He had been in the bathroom for about 20 minutes, when he heard the floorboard outside the bathroom creak. He could see his mother's shadow under the door, and called to her, to tell her that he was just rinsing off and he would be out in a few minutes. He drained the foul smelling liquid out of the tub, turned on the shower, and ran it for a few minutes, splashing some water on his hair, so his mother wouldn't get suspicious. He could still see Mrs. Benson's feet under the door, and after a few minutes of silence, he finally heard her sigh and pad away. He chose that moment to escape to his bedroom, and get ready for his jailbreak.

FPOV

I knew that it was going to be tricky getting out of the apartment, but I couldn't let Carly down. Not when I had already left her once tonight, and she was counting on me to come back and listen to her. I texted her asking if there was any time that was too late to come, and a few seconds later, my phone buzzed with her answer. She said that she didn't care because it was Saturday tomorrow and she didn't think she could sleep anyway. We decided that it would be best for us to talk in her room this time, because by the time I broke out, it would be way too cold on the fire escape. I knew that my mom didn't go to bed very late, but I also knew that as long as she knew I was awake, she would be too. I changed out of my clothes, and into sweatpants and a T-shirt. I shut the light off in my room, leaving my laptop open as a source of light. Hopefully my mom would assume that any light coming out of my room would be from the nightlight she insisted I keep, in case of emergency.

It was close to midnight before I could sneak out, and I texted Carly again so she could unlock her front door for me. I wasn't really worried about Spencer, because even if he was still awake, he understood that sometimes Carly needed someone to talk to, and I like to think it made him feel better that I was always there for his baby sister. I was glad that I knew which floorboards squeaked, so I could avoid them on the way out. I made a quick stop in the kitchen for the ingredients for hot chocolate, and this time I made sure I was equipped with tiny marshmallows, because I knew that they were Carly's favorite. I unlocked the four locks that my maniac of a mother keeps on our front door, and gently eased it open. I crossed the hall in two strides, and as I was about to turn the handle, the door swung open, and there she was, still wrapped in the blanket I had left her with.

"Are you psychic or something?" I asked her, knowing that I had to loosen her up again.

"Nah," she said, smiling. "I was just looking out my peephole waiting for you." And then she laughed, and it was a beautiful thing to hear.

I made my best sad face, and looked at my feet. She kept laughing, and when I picked my head up, she was just shaking her head at me. I tried to act hurt, but I was so thrilled that she was laughing that I couldn't help myself but laugh with her.

CPOV

I really had been waiting by the peephole for Freddie to come. I was ready to talk to him about everything, and I knew that he would listen, no matter what I said. When I told him what I had been doing, I made it seem like a joke, because I was trying to lighten the mood, so that everything could just come out. In reality, I had come to a conclusion, standing there looking out the peephole. I finally understood why Freddie had waited there for me for so long. I realized that I made him happy. He stayed by his peephole all that time, because he was always so excited to see me that he wanted to see me the first moment he possibly could. It finally clicked, when I saw him slip out his front door, and I began to smile.

"I have to make the hot chocolate here," he said. "I couldn't risk making it at my apartment and waking up the resident crazy. I brought you some mini marshmallows too." He walked over to the stove, and quietly began to empty his backpack, and take out a pan from one of our cabinets.

I walked over to the kitchen, and got two mugs out of a higher cabinet, and set them down by the stove. I hopped on to one of the high stools that we kept in the kitchen, and sat there while he made us hot chocolate, complete with mini marshmallows. Of course he would remember the fact that I thought big marshmallows were too much, and how I felt that mini marshmallows were much better suited for hot chocolate. We didn't say much while he was stirring his pot, but every so often, we would look at each other and just smile. I had been watching him closely, and there was something about him that was different. But for the life of me I couldn't put my finger on it.

Finally, he announced that we were ready to go. He poured the steaming liquid into the two mugs, and put marshmallows in mine, but none in his because he liked whipped cream in his hot chocolate. And then of course, he pulled a can of whipped cream out of his backpack, and unloaded what seemed like half the can into his mug. He handed me my hot chocolate, and asked me where I wanted to talk.

"Well," I said, hesitating, "I was thinking that we could go to my room, just so we don't wake up Spencer or anything. B-b-but if you'd rather go to the studio or something, that's fine with me." I didn't know why, but I had started to feel a little nervous.

A/N: Sorry about the length of this one! The whole thing just got away from me. The next chapter will be up either tonight or tomorrow, and hopefully it won't be too terrible.

Thanks for reading!


	6. We Finally Talk

A/N: I don't own iCarly. This chapter is mostly dialogue, and I tried to make sure it wasn't boring.

Chapter 6

We Finally Talk

CPOV

I realized after a few seconds that the reason for my nerves was that aside from Spencer, I had never had a boy in my room. I knew that I didn't have to worry about Freddie taking advantage of the situation, or anything like that, I was just nervous. I started to over think the situation, wondering if I had any embarrassing things in my room, and whether or not I had put that bra away that was hanging on my desk chair. Just to be safe, I asked Freddie to wait in the kitchen while I ran up to assess the damage. Luckily, there were no stray undergarments that I could see, so I walked back downstairs and told Freddie he could come up with me. I grabbed my mug of hot chocolate, and watched amused as Freddie scooped his mug, the marshmallows, the canister of whipped cream, and two spoons into his arms. I offered to take something but he just told me to keep walking.

We took the stairs up to my room, and walked in. Freddie was walking behind me, and he took a second to look around before he came into the room. During that time, which I'm sure was only a few seconds, my heart was thumping. I had a few stuffed animals from when I was younger, and I didn't want him to make fun of them. He looked at them with a passing glance, until his eyes finally came to rest on me. I'm sure I looked uncomfortable, and I could feel myself squirming.

Freddie didn't know how to feel about Carly wanting to talk in her room. He had never been invited in before. Not that it was something he thought about. When he reached the doorway, he took a minute to sweep the room, and take it in. It seemed to fit Carly perfectly. There were a few stuffed animals, and lots of pictures on the walls. He couldn't help noticing that her walls were the same color pink that her cheeks got when she was embarrassed. He was probably the only one who would notice that, but still, he did. Carly sat down on her bed, wrapping the blanket tight around her, and Freddie wasn't sure if he was supposed to sit on her desk chair or on the bed with her. What if he tried to sit on the bed and she yelled at him? He chose the desk chair because it seemed safer, but when he looked at Carly, she was giving him a strange look.

"How are we supposed to talk when you're halfway across the room? You can come sit on the bed, I'm not going to bite you or anything." She was laughing at him, and he couldn't help but smile back. He sheepishly looked at her, and threw the bag of marshmallows at her for payback. He picked up his mug of hot chocolate, and the canister of whipped cream and sat at the edge of her bed, still keeping his distance.

"Seriously, Freddie. What's with you? Come sit next to me." She scooted over to one side of her enormous bed, and Freddie managed to arrange himself on the other side without spilling any hot chocolate. Carly grabbed the other blanket from the edge of the bed, and offered it Freddie, but he shook his head.

"You don't have to be macho Fredward...If you're cold just take the blanket. I won't think any less of you." She was making fun of him, but he was enjoying it. In his mind, after their conversation, his plan needed to be put into action. He narrowed his eyes and looked at her with his best 'I hate you' face, one he reserved exclusively for Sam. Carly pretended to be offended, and they both started to laugh.

"Freddie, can we talk now?" Carly ventured, trying to start the conversation that so far had been interrupted way to many times.

"Sure Carly. Anything for you."

"Okay, so I'm just gonna try and spill it all out, and then I'll repeat whatever I need to..." She started her story, sitting side by side with Freddie, but then decided that it would be better if they were facing each other, so she shoved his legs to the side, and moved her body so she was staring at him, at her best friend, her boy next door. He hadn't said anything yet, so she took it that he didn't want to interrupt her, and she continued.

"Like I already told you, Ben broke up with me, and I'm not upset about it. I'm upset about all the stupid relationships I've been in over the years, and none of them amounting to anything. It makes me feel like I'm defective or something, like one of Spencer's sculptures." Freddie opened his mouth to say something, but she put her hand on his knee and shook her head. She wasn't even close to being done.

"I watch all these movies, well you do too since we force you, and they're all about true love, and finding that one person that you're meant to be with. Soulmates. The person who makes time stop, and makes you see fireworks. In all the stupid relationships I've had, I haven't even seen a sparkler. I know you probably think it's stupid to want something like that, but I guess it's just because I'm a girl. I just feel like there's something wrong with me that I can't find the right guy." She paused, and Freddie took advantage of the silence.

"I don't think it's stupid. I'm not saying I like the chick flicks you force me to watch, but I can understand the concept. You want to be with someone who makes you happy, someone you want to spend time with. I want you to know though, that there is _nothing _wrong with you at all. You're perfect. It's the guys that are defective." Now it was Freddie's turn to pause, and that's when he noticed that Carly's hand was still on his knee, but she didn't seem to notice. He looked at her, and she was deep in thought.

"Freddie, you always say the right things. I'm starting to think you're perfect." Her statement came as a shock to him, because he wasn't sure what context he was supposed to take it in. He shook off his confusion, because he didn't want her to see him frazzled.

Freddie and Carly talked for over two hours that night, but it wasn't about what they were supposed to be talking about. They talked about the show, and school, and how crazy everything had been lately. During their conversation, Carly had moved back to his side, and had rested her head on his shoulder. He couldn't help but be thrilled by this, and at the same time, she had to admit that it really was nice, having Freddie with her, talking to him about anything. It was after 3 when Carly yawned, and Freddie took that as his cue to leave. He started to get up, when she said something he definitely wasn't expecting.

"Why don't you just stay here?"

A/N: I was trying to make it a cliffhanger, but I don't really think it worked. I'll be back to work on the next few chapters, I'm trying to get at least 3 more out of this story. Thanks for reading!!


	7. iSleepover

A/N: I don't own iCarly.

Chapter 7

iSleepover

The minute Carly had asked Freddie to stay, both of their minds had started to race. Carly regretted her question, as soon as it had escaped her lips. Would Freddie think that she liked him? She had only asked because it was so late, and she didn't want him getting in trouble with Mrs. Benson. If she caught him sneaking back into their apartment, she would never see Freddie again, and without him, she would crumble. She needed Freddie in her life.

When she had asked him to stay, Freddie's eyes had gotten so wide, that he was surprised they were still in his head. Thankfully, Carly was still sitting beside him, and hadn't seen his reaction. 'She wants me to stay?' he thought, and his mind was going a mile a minute. He had no idea how he was supposed to react to this. He wanted to be there for Carly, and she had asked him, even though she wasn't asking for the reasons he wanted her to. But then he realized that it didn't matter. Being there for her, no matter what, would hopefully help her in some way. He got up, and looked at her.

"I'll stay, if you want me to. I'll sleep on the couch." He didn't want her thinking that he was going to try anything. She nodded and he bent down to grab the blanket from the floor. He kicked his slippers off and climbed onto the couch. The couch was to the side of Carly's bed, and it was too short for his body, but he didn't say anything. Freddie said goodnight to Carly, and she said goodnight back. They smiled at each other, and Freddie closed his eyes, trying to get comfortable in a way that Carly couldn't see. After he had managed a somewhat comfortable position, Carly looked over at him. Although he had tried to hide the fact that he didn't quite fit on the couch, it was obvious to her.

As she laid there watching Freddie, she saw the moment when he finally fell asleep, his breathing steady. It amused her that as he slept, the corner of his mouth turned up into a grin, revealing a dimple that she had never noticed, even after all these years. Suddenly, she wasn't all that tired anymore, and she wished that Freddie was still awake talking to her. She finally fell asleep, but woke up a short while later, in a cold sweat, with tears streaming down her face. She'd had a dream that Ben had broken up with her again, only this time, he had made a point of telling her that no one would ever love her. She must have screamed, because when she opened her eyes, Freddie was kneeling at the side of her, bed, staring at her with the same concern as before in the studio.

"Bad dream?" He asked, and she nodded in response to his question. He raised his hand slowly, and gently wiped a tear from her cheek.

"I was dreaming that Ben broke up with me again. He told me that no one would ever love me! It's true Freddie, I'm never going to find anyone."

Freddie visibly slumped, and quickly recovered. He wasn't sure if Carly had even noticed. She hadn't, but she did notice that his brown eyes were flat, something that rarely happened, especially around her. He was clearly thinking about something. He opened his mouth to say something, and she waited, but then he clamped it shut again. She waved her hand in front of his face, trying to snap him out of whatever he was thinking about.

"Earth to Freddie!!" His eyes snapped up to her face, and he gave her a small smile. "Uh s-sorry, I lost myself for a second there."

"It's okay Fredward, I forgive you." Her comment earned her an eye roll. She looked at the clock next to her bed, and it was 4:37 a.m. "Can I ask you something Freddie? If it's weird you don't have to do it."

"Carly, just ask. You know I'll do anything for you."

"Do you think you could just sit on the bed with me until I fall asleep? I kind of think that being close to some one might make the bad dreams stop." With her request, his eyes began to sparkle, and she had to try hard to stop a giggle from coming out. He was looking at her with his big brown puppy dog eyes, as if she had just asked him if he wouldn't mind marrying her.

"Sure Carls. No problem." He walked around the bed to the other side, and sat in the bed, with his head propped up on the wall. Carly laid down, and after a few seconds, she shifted her head onto his shoulder, making his pulse skyrocket. He tried to calm himself down, because he knew that she was upset, and he shouldn't be thinking about how much he loved her at a time like this. If only he had been able to tell her how he really felt about her, she might have felt better. But then again, she might have also run screaming out of the room, and never talked to him again. He wasn't willing to jump unless he knew she felt the same way.

After a few minutes, she began to breathe deeply, and snuggled closer to Freddie. Her face was pressed into the nook of his shoulder, and her hand was on his chest. He couldn't help thinking how well they fit together. His arm was around her, and he brought his hand up and slid it through her curly brown hair. He smiled as she moved a little against him, and he found himself thinking that he wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life with Carly, as they were at that moment. He knew that now she was asleep and he should move himself to the couch, but something made him stay.

"I love you, Carly Shay," he whispered, as sleep descended on him. He had finally said it, even if she hadn't heard it, but for now it was enough. He surrendered himself to his fatigue, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	8. Morning Comes

A/N: I don't own iCarly. This chapter is going to be all Carly's POV.

Chapter 8

Morning Comes

CPOV

The sun was coming through my window, forcing my eyes open. I had forgotten to close my blinds again! This always happens to me, especially on weekends when I can actually sleep. At first, I didn't even realize that I was alone. I was so comfortable that I had just assumed my bed had treated me well last night. But then I squinted, and realized that Freddie was still there with me. My face was pressed against his chest, which was a lot more solid than I expected. My hand was across his stomach, and his hand was on my hair. I laid there, not wanting to disturb him, and the events of last night, and this morning came flooding back to me. I had asked him to sit on my bed with me, because my dreams were so bad. Looking at him now, I was glad I had. Once I had fallen back to sleep, my mind had been blank, my sleep peaceful. It was weird being this close to Freddie, and I imagined that he was probably pretty happy at the moment. I also knew that he would be wondering if I was mad that he hadn't moved to the couch. I wasn't mad, and I didn't think I had the right to be. After all he had done for me last night, the least I could do was not get mad at him for staying where he was.

I must have fallen back to sleep, because I woke up, and Freddie was gone. He had closed the blinds so that the sun wouldn't wake me up. When I sat up, I turned on my lamp, and saw a note on my table, written in Freddie's recognizable handwriting.

_Carls,_

_Sorry I never made it to the couch, I hope you're not mad._

_You're still sleeping, and I hope I don't wake you,_

_but I want you to know that I'm always gonna be here whenever you need me._

_Maybe we can do something later?_

_Love, Freddie_

I laughed when I read the first line, because I knew he would be worried about me being mad. I made a mental note to call him later. I had to repay him somehow for everything he had done for me last night. He kept me sane, and he knew just what to do to make me feel better. I looked over at the clock, and realized that it was already 1 o'clock in the afternoon. I must have been a lot more tired than I had realized. I dragged myself out of bed, and headed for the shower, yelling to Spencer on the way that I was alive. I took my shower, and got dressed. As I looked around my room, I saw Freddie's blankets and backpack, and decided to take a trip across the hall to return them to him personally. I passed through our living room, where Spencer was hard at work on his sculpture. I said hello to him, and he mumbled something back, something I was sure was supposed to be a greeting of some kind. I stepped out into the hallway, and closed the gap between my apartment and his. I knocked twice, and took a step back, crossing my fingers that Freddie would be the one opening the door, and not crazy Mrs. Benson. I hoped that she hadn't found out about Freddie not being home last night. Luck was clearly not on my side at that moment. Mrs. Benson answered the door a few seconds later, wearing a protective mask, and yellow rubber gloves that reached past her elbows. However, she didn't appear mad, which I hoped was a good sign.

"Hello, Carly," she said, her voice muffled by her mask, "Sorry for my appearance, but Saturday is cleaning day. I was just in the middle of sanitizing the couch."

I had to stop myself from laughing and rolling my eyes at her ridiculousness, so I pretended to cough, which of course set of an alarm on Mrs. Benson's germ radar.

"Carly, you aren't sick are you???" She questioned, her voice alarmingly high.

"Oh no, Mrs. Benson, I just had a tickle in my throat." Her face relaxed a little bit, but she was still squeezing her gloved hands into fists.

"Mrs. Benson, is Freddie around? I have something of his that he left in the studio last night."

"Yes, he's in his room, organizing his underwear." Again, I had to stifle a laugh, but she didn't seem to notice. "You can go right up, just try to stay off the carpets or you'll disturb the tick shampoo I put on it this morning."

"Thanks Mrs. Benson. Good luck with that couch sanitizing." She nodded appreciatively and stepped aside so I could enter the apartment. I ran upstairs, and knocked on Freddie's closed door laughing to myself.

"No, Mom. I'm not done with my underwear yet." Freddie yelled through the door. I started laughing even harder, and the door swung open. Freddie stood there staring at me, and I watched as his face got so red that it was almost purple.

"Oh! Uhh, H-h-hey Carls. Sorry about that. I thought you were 'The Germinator'." His joke made me laugh, and his face started to turn back to it's normal color.

"So," I said. "Underwear organization? Sounds pretty important." My comment cause him to turn red again, and he gave me a look that I assumed was meant to be disgust.

"Can we please keep this between the two of us? You know if Sam found out, she would never _ever _let me live it down." I made a motion like I was zipping my lips and throwing away the key, and that seemed to calm him down a little.

"I promise." I told him. I grabbed his backpack from my shoulder, and held it out to him. "I figured you'd be missing this soon." He took the bag from me, and tossed it aside. For a second, there was an awkward silence between us, something that didn't usually happen, and during that moment, something came over me, and I closed the distance between us, and wrapped my arms around his waist. I could feel him tense up at first, but soon I felt his warm hands wrap around my shoulders. I pressed my face against his chest and I could hear his heart beat. It was steady and strong, just like our friendship, I realized.

"Thank you for last night, Freddie," I mumbled against his chest. "You're my best friend and I don't know what I would do without you. I owe you, big time."

"Don't worry about it Carls," he said in a soft, calm voice. "That's what I'm here for. "

I released my arms and backed a few steps away. "Hey, do you maybe wanna take a walk? I can buy you a smoothie or something?" I hoped he would say yes. Being around him was keeping me calm, and if I wanted to stay sane, I needed him close.

"I don't know Carly," he said, and my heart sank a little bit. He really didn't want to hang out with me? He always wanted to hang out with me. I looked up at him.

"Oh. O-okay, you're right, you're busy with your underwear and stuff." I really was dissappointed. And then I saw a streak of guilt flash across his face.

"I'm totally kidding Carls! Just let me grab a sweatshirt." His mention of sweatshirts made me realize that I didn't have one on, and it was cold out. I ran back to my apartment, after agreeing to meet Freddie in the hall in five minutes. When I got back to my room, for some reason, I decided that my hair didn't look good. Normally I didn't care about how I looked with Freddie, because he was always telling me how perfect he thought I was, but now I felt like I needed to look decent. I brushed my hair, and grabbed Freddie's sweatshirt. I ran down the stairs, shouting again to Spencer about where I was going and who I was going with, and I ran out the door to meet Freddie.

A/N: Hope you're still enjoying the story. Again sorry for the long Chapter, I keep getting caught up in my story. The next chapter will be on soon, and there's definitely going to be some changes going on.


	9. Our Adventure Begins

A/N: I don't own iCarly.

Chapter 9

Our Adventure Begins

CPOV

When I opened my door, Freddie was leaning against his door, checking something on his phone. He had on a sweatshirt that I had never seen before, and he had his backpack with him. He must have been deeply involved in whatever he was doing, because he didn't even look up when I closed the door. I mirrored his body and leaned on my own front door, staring at him with what I'm sure was an amused look on his face. After almost a whole minute, he finally seemed to register that he wasn't alone in our narrow hallway. He finally looked up, and I smiled at him. He dropped his phone on the hard floor, and stood there frozen.

"Freddie? Is everything okay?" I was still laughing at him a little bit, and he finally snapped out of his trance.

"Oh, sorry Carls. I was just reading this email and I got really distracted. Everything's cool." I shook my head at him, and he picked his phone up off the floor, making sure it wasn't damaged. We walked down the hall and took the elevator to the lobby. Lewbert was mopping, and he was none too pleased that we were 'ruining the purity of his floors.' Freddie and I were laughing so hard as we walked out the front door that we had to stop and catch our breath on the sidewalk outside Bushwell. When I finally stopped laughing I looked at him.

"Groovy Smoothie?" I asked?

"Groovy Smoothie." He said. "But then I have a surprise." He had an evil grin on his face, and I was a little scared about what he was planning, but I decided to keep an open mind.

"Oookay? Do I get a clue?" I was hoping that if I asked enough times he would tell me.

"Nope! You're just gonna have to wait Carls."

"Please Freddie? Tell me? Pleeeease?" I could get anything I wanted from Freddie when I asked him like that, and I was taking full advantage of it. But then, something happened that had never happened before. He said no!

"No?! What do you mean no? I asked nicely..." I put on my best pouty face, and puppy dog eyes, and stared into his big brown eyes, willing him to crumble and tell me.

"Nope. You're not gonna win this time Carly Shay. This time, I'm not gonna fall for those eyes." He smiled even bigger this time, and the dimple I had noticed last night reappeared. I reached up and poked it.

"I never noticed that dimple before, you know." I just hoped he didn't think I was weird.

"Guess you just haven't been paying attention, cause it's been there since I was born."

We had arrived at Groovy Smoothie, and as promised, I ordered and paid for our smoothies. Strawberry Splat for me, Blueberry Blitz for Freddie. The two of us fought T-Bo about not wanting fried chicken on a stick for over 5 minutes, until he finally left us alone, sighing loudly before walking off to harrass someone else about deep fried poultry.

We walked out of Groovy Smoothie and I grabbed Freddie's arm. "Will you PLEASE tell me where we're going now? I may explode if you don't, and I don't think you'd want me blown up." Freddie thought about it for a second.

"Well...it might be convenient if you were blown to bits. I could carry a piece of you with me wherever I went."

"Haha very funny Fredward. But okay, I'll humor you. What piece of me would you keep?" Without any hesitation, I got my answer.

"Your heart." He looked down at me, and winked, and then kept walking. Meanwhile, I was so startled by his answer that I almost dropped my Strawberry Splat all over the sidewalk. It'd been so long since I'd heard a Freddie pick up line, or anything along those lines that I wasn't sure if I had heard him right. I shook my head to try and regain my sense of things, and ran to catch up with him.

"That still doesn't tell me where we're going."


	10. A Picnic in the Park

A/N: I don't own iCarly. This Chapter will probably be a little short. Freddie's plan begins.

Chapter 10

A Picnic in the Park

FPOV

I could tell that what I said had affected Carly in some way, I just hoped that it was the right way. I had been thinking a lot since I had left her this morning. I needed to figure out a way for her to realize I could be something real for her, without having to tell her. I finally decided that I was going to take her on a picnic in the park. It was kind of cold, but I had three blankets, and an extra sweatshirt. When she had walked out of her apartment today wearing my sweatshirt again, it made me so happy. I was sure that it didn't mean anything, but the fact that she had picked mine out of all the options I knew she had just made me feel good.

After she had come to her senses, she ran to catch up with me, but I could tell she was still frazzled, and I kept walking. After a few more steps, I felt her hand on my arm, and I felt a jolt go straight through me. I looked right at her, and she had a weird look on her face. I wanted to ask her so badly if she had felt it too, but I didn't want to hear her answer if it was just no, like it always had been.

CPOV

When I grabbed his arm, I wasn't expecting anything to happen. But when he turned around at looked at me, something was off, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Freddie, I'm not walking another step until you tell me exactly where we're going, and what we're gonna do. I mean it." I waited for his responce, and after a few seconds, I realized that my hand was still on his arm. I slammed my arm to my side, and waited. I crossed my arms, and tried to give him my meanest look, but he just laughed at me.

"Fine. I'll tell you. We're going to the park, and we're going to have a picnic, because I'm willing to bet that you haven't eaten anything since you got up." He was right about that. I was pretty hungry, and starting to regret not buying any chicken from T-Bo. I narrowed my eyes, and looked up at him. He really was tall these days. I had to strain my neck to look at him.

"Is this part of a plan to get me to fall in love with you?"

"That depends. Is it working?" I still couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. All I knew at that point was that I was insanely hungry, and ready for whatever he had in that backpack of his. So I decided to play along.

"I don't know. Depends on the menu. The food could make or break this whole operation. You better cross your fingers."

"Noted. Can we walk now?" I nodded, and we set off for the park. When we were about half way there, a breeze rustled along the sidewalk, and I instinctively huddled closer to Freddie, and wrapped my arm around his. I could feel Freddie tense up as I touched him, and I wasn't sure what was going on, but I squeezed his arm, and he seemed to relax, and I forgot about it. We walked for about five more minutes, still arm in arm, and then we were at the park. Freddie picked a spot under a large tree, and took his backpack off. I was curious to what he had brought, but he made me promise not to peek until he was done. He threatened to throw me in the duck pond if I saw before it was time. He spread out a blanket, and told me to sit, and close my eyes tight. I put my hands over my eyes, and watched him through the slits of my fingers, clamping my hands shut every time he looked over at me.

"Okay peeker. I'm on to you. But I'm done now so you can open your eyes." I opened my eyes and he had a ridiculous amount of food, and there were extra blankets, and it just made me smile.

"Freddie, you always out do yourself. This is too much."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Just eat the food, and then we can take it from there."

FPOV

She looked like she was actually having an okay time, and that made me happy. I had made up my mind when she grabbed my arm that I was going to tell her once and for all how I felt, no matter how she felt about me. I just had to figure out the right time to do it. While she was finishing her low-fat Fat Cake, I had laid down with one of the blankets under my head as a pillow. She must have finished her Fat Cake, because all of a sudden, I could feel her laying down next to me. I tried to concentrate on a particular cloud, because I knew that if I looked at her, I would blurt out my secret, or say something equally embarrassing.

CPOV

After my Fat Cake, I was about ready to go into a food coma, and I laid down next to Freddie, using the last blanket he had brough as a pillow. Using my peripherals, I could see him staring straight up, probably at a cloud or something. I laid there and looked up too, trying to find an interesting cloud. I closed my eyes, and suddenly, my mind began to play clips. I know it sounds weird, but it was exactly like watching a movie. My mind went over everything that had gone on in the past 48 hours. And then, when it was done, I opened my eyes, and looked over at Freddie.


	11. Wash Out

A/N: I don't own iCarly. This is probably the second to last chapter. Things are definitely going to get juicy.

Chapter 11

Wash Out

CPOV

When I opened my eyes, and looked at Freddie, I knew that something was different. He was always there for me. He had planned this whole picnic without me even knowing, just to make me feel better. He had snuck out past his crazy mother to listen to me babble. He was my best friend, but for him, that wasn't enough. He wanted more, and I couldn't even give that to him. I started to feel guilty, and my eyes welled up. I tried to stop the tears from falling, because I knew it would only upset Freddie. I looked at him again, and this time, he turned his head to look at me, and I just lost it. The tears that I had been holding in ran down my cheek, and dripped off my nose, onto the blanket. Freddie's kind face got all twisted up, and his eyes looked flat again. He raised his arm to wipe my cheek, and left it there for a second. I placed my hand on top of his, and tried to calm myself down. I wasn't ready to let him know why I was crying this time.

"Carls, you really need to stop crying. You're kind of ruining my picnic..." I managed to choke out a laugh, but after that the tears still came.

FPOV

I could feel her eyes on me, and I ignored the feeling for a minute or so. When I turned to her the tears in her eyes shattered my heart. That isn't what's supposed to happen on our picnic. I was supposed to tell her that I loved her. Maybe she wouldn't feel the same way, but at least she wasn't supposed to cry. The whole point of today was supposed to be to make her happy, and I was failing miserably. No wonder she didn't like me.

I tried to joke about her ruining my picnic, and it got a half hearted smile out of her, which is better than nothing, but still, it wasn't enough. I was determined to make her smile and laugh, and forget about all the bad stuff that had happened. It was supposed to be part of the plan. At this point, her crying had died down a little bit, but I could still feel her shaking. It hurt me so bad to see her like this. She was so beautiful, even when she was crying, and I wanted to tell her that. I wanted to tell her how I thought she looked beautiful even right after she woke up. I wanted to tell her that she had the nicest eyes I'd ever seen. I wanted to tell her that I loved her laugh, and how I even thought it was cute when she snorted, which she tended to do when she laughed really hard. I wanted to tell her that...well, that I loved her, and that I always would, even though she didn't feel the same way. And probably never would. I took a deep breath, and prepared myself.

"Carls?" I didn't want to rush into spilling my heart out, and I had to do it carefully.

She sniffed a little, and then looked right into my eyes, and I almost passed out from my nerves. "Yeah, Freddie?"

"I wanna say something. I-" Just as I was about to tell her everything, spill my heart out, the loudest clap of thunder I had ever heard rumbled in the sky. And then the rain came. I knew that Carly hated thunder and lightning, and that it scared her. 'Great,' I thought to myself, 'just another way today hasn't gone as planned.' We both shot up, and threw everything into my backpack. I grabbed her hand, and we started to run. We were about a half mile to Bushwell Plaza, and I was determined to get her back there in one piece. The rain was coming down in sheets, and it was almost hard to see. Carly was having a tough time keeping up with me, because her legs were so much shorter. We had just passed a bus stop when I had an idea. I stopped short, and Carly slammed into me. I pulled her into the bus stop, and explained my idea. She started to laugh, and protest when I told her that I would give her my backpack, and she would get on my back so she wouldn't have to run anymore.

"I'm too heavy, Freddie. You'll be dead by the time you get to Bushwell."

"Listen Carls, you are nowhere near fat. You're perfect. And I'm not a nerdy little tech boy anymore. Just listen to me, and I'll get you home safe."

"I know you will Freddie, I trust you. But, I'm not perfect. Please don't say that."

"I can't help what I think. We should really get home though, we'll talk about this then." I shrugged the backpack off, and handed it to her, hoping it wasn't too heavy for her back. She put it on, and I leaned down so she could hop on.

"Hold on tight, Carls. Here we go."

She wrapped her arms, tight around my neck, and I knew I had to push aside the fact that she was so close to me, and just get her home, out of the storm, and hopefully try to make things better. I stepped out of the bus stop and into the rain, charging along the sidewalk towards Bushwell. Five minutes later we were under the awning outside Bushwell Plaza, and she had hopped off my back. I took the backpack from her, and opened the door. We walked into the lobby, recieving yet another scolding from Lewbert, but this time we deserved it. We were soaking wet, and dripping everywhere. I felt like I weighed about 400 pounds because of all the water my clothes had sucked up. We made it to the elevator, and started to calm down.

"Are you okay Carls? What happened at the park? I did something wrong didn't I?" I regretting asking her that last question, because I didn't want to hear her answer.

"Freddie, it's nothing you did. If anything you made my day amazing. It's just some stuff I was thinking about. And now you're probably thinking that I'm just some stupid emotional teenage girl."

"That's not what I think at all. I just don't like to see you like this."

CPOV

It was in the elevator that I started to realize what was really wrong, and why I felt so guilty about not treating Freddie right. I knew that I should at least try to reciprocate all the nice things he did for me. That one smoothie wasn't going to make up for the years and hundreds of things that Freddie had done for me whenever I had asked or needed to be cheered up. He was always asking if I needed anything, or if I wanted to talk about things, and not once had I ever done anything for him without being asked, or asked him if he needed to get anything off his chest. What was wrong with me?? How could Freddie even want to be near me, let alone have a crush on me for so long after the way I treated him. Before we got off the elevator, I had resolved to change our relationship, and I was going to start now.


	12. Dinner Plans

A/N: I don't own iCarly. I changed my mind. There's going to be a few more chapters, and I hope that no one's getting bored. If you are, definitely let me know. Any reviews are awesome : ) This is going to be some Carly POV and some Freddie. I promise there's gonna be a lot of action in the next chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter 12

Dinner Plans

CPOV

The doors of the elevator glided open as we reached the eighth floor, and Freddie made a huge sweeping gesture with his arm, and let me out first, like he always did. Sometimes I swear he was a Southern gentleman in another life. I decided that it wouldn't hurt to play into it, especially since I had just made a promise to myself to change the way I treated Freddie.

"Why thank you, good sir!" I said, and I started to laugh. Once again, he had managed to make me laugh when I needed it.

He smiled, and I saw that dimple again, but instead of making me smile, I was filled with guilt again, and reminded of what he had said to me earlier in the afternoon.

'Guess you just haven't been paying attention, cause it's been there since I was born.' I thought about it, and realized that he was right. My best friend knew everything about me. He paid attention to what I did, and what I liked, and didn't like. He knew what upset me, but most importantly, he knew how to cheer me up. He would drop everything in a second if I needed him. Compared to him, I was a terrible best friend, and I just couldn't understand why he would want to be friends with me, let alone feel the way he did about me. How had I known him for so many years, and never noticed the small things about him? Tonight, I was prepared to change that.

We started to walk down the hall in silence, but it was a silence that we had become accustomed to over the years, and it was never awkward. We finally reached our respective doors.

"Well, Carls, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Freddie smiled at me, and fished around in his pocket for his house key. I knew I had to say something, but I wasn't sure how to say it. He was turning the key in the lock, and I knew I had to suck it up, so I took a deep breath and turned around.

"Hey Freddie? Can you do something for me?" I knew the answer he would give me even before I asked the question.

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Well, um, I need you to come over later, and have some Spaghetti Tacos and watch a movie with me. Unless you have something you need to do." Once he processed what I was asking, his face lit up. His dark brown eyes started to sparkle, and he was smiling ear to ear.

"I think I can manage that Carls," he said, still smiling.

"Okay," I said, smiling back at him. "The only thing is that Spencer isn't gonna be here, so the Spaghetti Tacos may not be awesome, but I'll do my best. Promise."

"I'll try to hold them down." That got me to laugh.

"Come over at like 7? I know that your mom probably wants to give you a sponge bath or something before dinner." I winked at him, and he shook his head.

"So funny, Carls. I'm going to have to sneak in so she won't ambush me. I'll see you later."

We both turned towards our doors, opened them, and walked into our seperate apartments. I debated for a second whether to shower or start the spaghetti. The shower won, because once I was alone, I realized just how cold I was from the rain. The spaghetti would have to wait.

FPOV

As soon as I got into my apartment, and shut the door behind me, I closed my eyes and slid down the wall. What had just happened? All I knew was that I was having dinner, and watching a movie with Carly Shay. Spencer wouldn't even be there. If it were with anyone it could totally be a date, but with Carly, I figured that it was probably just out of pity. Still, I figured I might as well continue with the plan. However, I also decided that if I got shot down tonight, that maybe it was really time to give up on the girl of my dreams, and just move on. It would be the best thing for our friendship, because I'm sure by this point I had annoyed Carly enough for three lifetimes.

"Fredward Benson!" Oh no, I had forgotten about my mother. "You're dripping on my hardwood! And why are you so wet? You're going to catch pneumonia if you keep running around in the rain."

"Mom, stop it. I'm fine! I'm going to take a shower now." I turned away from her, and as I walked away, I could hear her stuttering about something, probably about something ridiculous, that only she would care about. I knew that I couldn't spend a long time in the shower, because after 15 minutes, my mother had a tendency of banging on the door and yelling about how I would start to grow mold if I was in there any longer. I rolled my eyes at the thought. After my shower, I went to my room, and sorted out all of my soaking wet things from our disasterous picnic. At least I had made her laugh in the elevator. That had to count for something.

I had taken care of my wet clothes, and when I looked at the clock it was only 5:30. I had an hour and a half to think about what my plan of action was going to be for tonight. First of all, I had to decide if this was a casual thing, or if I was supposed to be dressed up. I knew I would look like an idiot if I showed up in a nice shirt and stuff, and she was wearing sweats. I would have to compromise, and find something in the middle. You might make fun of me, but I was having a wardrobe issue. I guess that's what I get for having two girl best friends. I finally decided on one of my nicer T-shirts, and a pair of jeans. After that it was just me alone with my thoughts for an hour.

I decided after a lot of thinking, that I was going to tell her how I felt about her. If she laughed in my face, I could always pretend like I was joking. I was more nervous about what would happen if she didn't laugh at me. The minutes on my clock ticked away slowly as I paced across my room, back and forth. With about ten minutes until 7, I realized that I should probably bring her something. I frantically racked my mind, and finally remembered that my mom had a vase of flowers on the kitchen table. I ran down to the kitchen, looking around to make sure she wouldn't find me, and picked out a yellow rose. I raced back to my room, grabbed a sweatshirt, and rushed out of the apartment.

CPOV

I had showered, taking my time, because I knew I had a while until Freddie was supposed to come. I was a little nervous, because I realized that he probably thought this was going to be a date. To be honest, I wasn't even completely sure of what it was supposed to be. I hadn't wanted to get too dressed up, because then he would really get the impression that it was a date. I put on a tank top, and a sweater, and a pair of jeans. I was about to leave my room, and as an afterthough, I reached for Freddie's sweatshirt. I figured I should probably wash it and dry it before I gave it back to him.

I was in the kitchen waiting for the water to boil for the spaghetti, when I realized that I should probably pick out a few choices for the movie tonight. See, Spencer has this addiction to movies. He's always buying them wherever he goes, and he has all different kinds. Romantic comedies, indie movies, horror, sci-fi, you name it, we probably have it. Our bookcase is filled with DVD's and video tapes. I knew it was going to take awhile. I had to pick the right movies, because I wanted Freddie to have a good time. I ended up picking five movies, hoping that one of them would interest Freddie.

The water was finally boiling, and I put the pasta in, and set the timer. The sauce was almost ready, and I heard the buzz from the washer, so I ran up and threw it in the dryer. As I waited for the spaghetti to finish, I swept my eyes over the apartment making sure there was nothing embarrassing around. It was almost 7, and Freddie was usually early, so I had been waiting for the doorbell to ring. On a hunch, I walked quietly to the door, and glanced out the peephole, laughing at myself. Why was I this nervous? Freddie wasn't in the hallway, which surprised me. I walked back to the kitchen, drained the spaghetti and poured the sauce into the bowl. Dinner was done, but now I was going to be anxious until Freddie was here.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang, which I wasn't expecting. Freddie always knocked. I walked to the door, and looked out the peephole, and it was Freddie. He was biting his lip, and looking at his sneakers. He looked really nervous. Seeing him like that made me nervous too.

A/N: I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter, and how it turned out. Let me know what you think.


	13. Spaghetti Tacos

A/N: I don't own iCarly

Chapter 13

Spaghetti Tacos

CPOV

I took a deep breath and opened the door for Freddie.

"You rang?"

"Hey, Carls. You look...um dry?" He turned bright red, and bit down on his lower lip. I wondered if this was a new habit, or just another thing about him I had never notcied. Then I noticed that one of his hands was behind his back.

"What are you hiding behind your back Fredward Benson?" Freddie flinched as I used his whole name, and then turned an even brighter shade of red.

"Oh, um...uh th-this is for you. I figured it might cheer up your night a little." From behind his back he pulled out a beautiful yellow rose, and offered it to me. This was big, even coming from Freddie.

"Wow, Freddie, it's beautiful!! You're so sweet." I don't know what made me do it, but after I had taken the flower from him, I wrapped my hands around his waist. He tensed up at our contact, and then I pulled back. My next move surprised even me. I stood on my tip toes, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. The way his face lit up, you would have thought that I had just agreed to marry him. The dimple was back, and I was happy because he was.

FPOV

Do you know how hard it was to keep my cool when she kissed me on the cheek? I practically melted. This had to be a good sign though. I mentally patted myself on the back for thinking of the flower. Now all I had to do was get through dinner and whatever movie Carly picked to watch. I wanted to tell her how I felt so badly, but I knew that our friendship would be ruined if she took it the wrong way. It had felt so good when I told her I loved her, even if she was sleeping. I felt like a part of me that had been locked up had finally been freed, and I could breathe a little easier. Holding it in was really hard.

"Uh-uh yeah it's no problem. I figured it was the least I could do since you're making me dinner and all."

"Maybe you should keep the flower until you try the Spaghetti Tacos," she said with a smile. "If you survive, then I'll take the flower." She set the rose down on the table next to the couch, and grabbed my hand. She led me to the kitchen where she had a whole big setup on the table. She let go of my hand, and I could feel my skin tingling from where her hand had held mine. That had to mean something didn't it? But then again, maybe it was only one way. Maybe she felt nothing, to her it could have been like holding hands with Spencer. I had to stop myself from thinking because I could feel myself getting worked up. I started to walk around the table to pull her chair out, and she grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Oh no you don't," she said, the corner of her mouth turning up. "I invited you to this dinner. So _I'm _going to pull your chair out."

"Carly, you don't-" Once again, her hand grazed my arm. Her arm on mine was enough to shut me up.

"Freddie! Don't fight me. Just let me pull out your chair. You just sit, and try to force down some Spaghetti Tacos." She pulled my chair out with flair, and I reluctantly sat down.

"Carls, are you sure you don't need any help?"

I wanted to be able to help her, but she just shook her head and walked towards the stove. She made two plates of Spaghetti Tacos, and put one in front of me, and the other in front of her chair. She had some cans of Peppy Cola and I decided that the least I could do would be to pour them into the two glasses with ice that she had put on the table. She sat down, and raised her glass, in some kind of mock toast.

CPOV

I don't know where I got the idea to make a toast, but the next thing I know, I was staring at Freddie, and the words were coming out of my mouth.

"Okay, Freddie, here goes nothing. I want you to know that you're my best friend, and I don't deserve you."

"Carls-" Freddie started to say something.

"Just let me finish okay? Look, I know you like me Freddie, or you used to like me, I don't really know. All I know is that you're the only person who's there for me, no matter what, no questions asked, all the time. You're the only one who puts up with me when I'm sobbing about the latest stupid boy that dumped me. I want you to know that I haven't been a very good friend to you, and you've been the best to me. But from now on, things are going to be different. I want you to know that if you ever need anything, or you ever want to talk about anything, I'm your girl. I'm going to make up for everything that I haven't done during our friendship. I just really want you to know that you're the best person I know, and I honestly don't know how I'd survive without you in my life." At some point during my speech, I had started to cry, but it wasn't tears of sadness anymore. I was glad that I had told Freddie all of that, and I meant every word of it. He looked about as happy as I felt.

"Jeez, Carls. You make me sound like a saint." Freddie blushed, and looked down at his plate.

"Trust me, Freddie, to me you are." I held my glass up, and he mirrored my action. "Should we eat before the Spaghetti Tacos get cold?"

We ate, and talked about stuff, mostly stuff we couldn't talk about when Sam was around, because she would just sit there and mercilessly pick on Freddie. After dinner, Freddie offered to help me with the dishes, and I agreed to let him dry the dishes, but that was all. I ran the water in the sink, made sure it was hot, and poured a bunch of soap in. Freddie stood next to me, close enough that I could feel his body heat, but I could tell he was trying not to touch me. He was armed with his drying towel, ready for whatever I handed to him. Halfway through my first dish, I saw his hand shoot out and scoop a bunch of bubbles up. I turned to him, and gave him my best 'you better not do anything stupid' look, but the next thing I knew, I had bubbles on my face, and in my hair.

"Freddie! Uncalled for!" He just laughed at me. I had to get him back, so I stuck my hand into the water, and flicked it at him. His face turned to mock surprise, and the next thing I knew, we were having a full on bubble/water fight. After a few minutes, I was laughing so hard, I could barely breathe. I looked up at Freddie, who had a mound of bubbles in his dark brown hair, and I could see myself in his eyes. He was still smiling at me

"Um, Carls? You've got some bubbles on your nose." Freddie's looking down at me now, and for the first time, I realize just how tall he's gotten lately. I've been walking around picturing him as the little 10-year-old boy I met for the first time when I moved in with Spencer. How had I been so blind all this time? He reaches up, and wipes the bubbles off my nose, and his hand moves to my hair, where I'm assuming I have bubbles too. It's weird though, when he touches me. Something's different, but I don't know what it is. His hand slides back down, and for a second, we're just looking at each other. All of a sudden, a question pops into my head, and before I know it, I'm blurting it out without thinking.

"Freddie, do you still like me?" I wish I had a magic remote, because as soon as the words are out of my mouth, I want to take them back. Why would I ask him such a stupid question? Did a part of me wish he still did? I know that I'm shaking my head, and Freddie has a confused look on his face.

"Uh. Um well..." He starts to answer me, obviously uncomfortable with the position I've put him in.

"Nevermind, Freddie, can we just forget I asked that? I believe I promised you a movie too." Hopefully the movie will make him forget my stupid actions.

A/N: The next chapter is definitely going to be important, and I hope you keep reading! I was going to make the next chapter the last, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to be done with this story just yet. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far!


	14. Pajamas

A/N: I don't own iCarly, or A Walk to Remember. I'm sorry if this chapter is a little rough, but it's been a hard one for me to write.

Chapter 14

Pajamas

CPOV

After my embarrassment, Freddie and I decided that we were still going to watch the movie, but since we were all wet from our dish fight, that it would be better to get out of our wet clothes, and into some dry ones first, so Freddie ran home to change.

I still can't believe I asked Freddie if he liked me anymore. What part of my brain thought that it would be okay to blurt that out? He probably went home because he was freaked out, not because his clothes were wet. There are a million thoughts running through my head. Freddie said that he'd be back in five minutes, so I ran upstairs to change, but my mind was still racing, especially about what I was going to do when he came back. Today had really forced me to reevalute my friendship with Freddie. He was my best friend, that was true, and I knew how he felt about me, but after today, I wasn't so sure about how I felt about him. Why, after all these years, had I just noticed his dimple when he smiled, and how brown his eyes were, and how tall he had gotten lately? I couldn't for the life of me, figure out why I still saw Freddie as the short, geeky tech boy across the hall. He had obviously changed, I had just been blind to it. And here we were getting ready to watch a movie, only the two of us. As if my life weren't complicated enough.

I didn't feel like changing from one pair of jeans into another, so I decided on pajama pants, instead of sweatpants. I picked out my favorite pair, navy blue with stars on them. I felt like I should probably match, but I didn't really have any shirts that matched those pants. And then, I remembered Freddie's sweatshirt that was probably still hot in the dryer, which I knew would match. At least I had the outfit figured out for this movie. Everything else, I was just going to have to let fall into place.

FPOV

Why had she asked me if I still liked her? Was I supposed to like her? Did this mean she liked me? I had no idea at all how to interpret Carly's cryptic question. All I knew was that before the night was over, whether it was a date or not, two things were going to happen. I would get her to tell me why she asked me the question, and I would tell her I loved her, no matter what. She had said earlier that I could pick the movie, and my mind started to think of romantic ones that we could watch that might get her in the mood to reveal something she might not have. I would have to play it carefully, and cross my fingers that it would work.

I decided that jeans weren't really necessary, but since I slept in boxers, I didn't have any pajama pants besides the sweatpants I had worn last night. I settled for a pair of blue gym shorts and a white T-shirt. I grabbed a sweatshirt in case it was cold in Carly's apartment. (I hadn't really noticed before, because I had been so nervous that it felt like it was 1000 degrees in there.) I looked at the clock, and realized that it had been 10 minutes since I left, and I had told her I'd be back in five. She probably thought I didn't want to watch the movie with her, when that was the farthest thing from the truth. I ran down the stairs from my room, almost falling, which earned me a dirty look from my mother. I burst into Carly's apartment, and I must have looked pretty stupid because she cracked up when she saw my face.

She was smirking at me, but all I could think about was how beautiful she really was. She was standing in the kitchen, and even under the bright lights, she looked better than I had ever seen her look. That's the thing about Carly. I think she's gorgeous with no makeup on in her pajamas, so you can imagine what she does to me when she wears regular clothes. I had to stop myself from telling her what I was thinking, because I would be reverting back to the old days when I constantly bothered her with things like that.

She was wearing pajama pants, ones I knew were here favorite, and my sweatshirt, which I was pretty sure she had claimed ownership.

"Do you think I'm ever going to get that sweatshirt back?" I asked, just to push her buttons.

"Well," she said, "I'm not so sure about that. I'm sure we can arrange dates for you to come visit it though, maybe every other weekend and holidays?"

"Dates?" Now I was just plain teasing her. "I like the sound of that." All she could do to that was roll her eyes.

"Running from Mommy?" She said, still laughing.

"Something like that. So, you said I could pick the movie right?"

"Yup! I grabbed a few, unless you wanted to look yourself."

During my dash across the hall, I had an idea. Carly's favorite movie was A Walk to Remember. Even though it was sad, and sappy, I figured that if I chose it, she might get into the romantic mood, as I so often used to suggest. She might even think it was funny.

"Actually, I did have something in mind, if I'm picking." I walked over to her shelf, luckily they were in alphabetical order, because they have hundreds of movies. I found it pretty quickly, took it off the shelf, and brought it over to her. When I handed it to her, she looked at me with her 'stop being ridiculous' look, that I had grown so accustomed to, but I just held up my hand.

"You told me I could pick a movie. I pick that one. I don't know why you're fighting me about it. You should be happy I didn't choose Galaxy Wars."

She wrinkled her nose, another one of the things about her that I loved, and held up her hands.

"Okay, okay, I won't fight with you about it."

"Hey Carls, can I make some popcorn?"

"Sure Freddie, can you make me some hot chocolate, like last night? I have the rest of the mini marshmallows in the drawer."

Ten minutes later, we had popcorn, hot chocolate and a chick flick ahead of us. As the coming attractions were playing, she ran out of the room, and came back with my two blankets from the night before. I cursed myself for not being smart enough to only bring one. Maybe there was still hope, somehow.


	15. Chick Flick

A/N: I don't own iCarly or A Walk to Remember. I also want to apologize in advance because this chapter might be a little worse than the rest of the story. I know how I want it to turn out, and I'm having trouble bringing it to life. Hope it turns out okay : )

Chapter 15

Chick Flick

CPOV

A Walk to Remember? Had Freddie chosen that movie because he knew it was my favorite? Out of all the movies Spencer and I owned, I give him the choice, and he picks my favorite movie? Sure, I was glad he hadn't picked Galaxy Wars. I could barely stand listening to Freddie and Spencer obsess over it, let alone watch a two hour movie about it. I had purposely left A Walk to Remember out of my selection because I knew how much Freddie hated it. When it had first come out on DVD, Sam and I forced Freddie to watch it with us in the iCarly studio. Sam and I had been crying our eyes out, and halfway through, Freddie had left, claiming it was time for his tick bath. Sure, with a mom like Mrs. Benson, his excuse could have been completely valid. We found out he was lying, when she stormed into my apartment a few days later and dragged Freddie out, yelling at him about trying to skip his tick bath. We had known Freddie long enough at this point that we knew tick baths happened once every other week. He later admitted to me that he hated mushy love stories. I had to admit that when he told me that, it had surprised me, because of the way Freddie had always acted towards me. I always suspected he was a closet romantic, but I guess chick flicks didn't fit in to that category.

"Um, are you sure Freddie? You do remember what happened the last time we tried to watch this movie, don't you? Are you trying to tell me that you only want to watch half a movie with me?"

"I just figured it was time for me to see the whole movie. I can suck it up, just this once. Besides, if you love it so much, it can't be _that _awful."

I couldn't help but smile. He _had _picked it because it was my favorite. It was at that moment that I realized how stupid I had been the past six years. He picked up the remote and started to press some buttons. All I could do was look at him. Wait, what was I doing? Why was I thinking about Freddie like this? He was my best friend, that's all. He lked me, not the other way around. Then again, I'm not even sure he still liked me, so I shouldn't waste my time thinking about stupid things. I hadn't realized I had been staring until Freddie's voice snapped me out of my trance.

"Carls, do I have something on my face? You're kind of staring..." I immediately felt myself turn red, and tried to occupy myself with the blanket I had wrapped around me.

"Oh, no, you're fine. I was just um-uh I must of been spacing out, sorry."

Freddie finally got to the menu of the DVD and pressed play. He was on one side of the couch, I was on the other, and the huge popcorn bowl was in the middle. The beginning sequence of the movie had started to play, and I had seen the movie so many time that I could quote it word for word. Still, as Shane West came on screen for the first time, I couldn't help but notice that for the first time, I didn't have the urge to swoon over him like I usually did. Instead, I found myself with the popcorn bowl in my lap, staring into it, as if by some miracle, the answer to my problems would be there, nestled amond the kernels.

"Um, Carls?" Once again, Freddie's voice surprised me and I jumped, almost flipping the bowl of popcorn. "Do you think I could have some popcorn? Or should I go make myself a bowl?" Thankfully the lights were off over the couch, and I hoped that he wouldn't see how red I was. I started to hand him the bowl, and then realized that maybe the answer was in the popcorn all along. I scooted myself over, taking the blanket with me, so I was sitting next to him, but not touching him. I had a flashback of washing the dishes, as I felt his body heat drift towards me. With Freddie's help, the popcorn was done in less than ten minutes, and all that was left were the unpopped kernels. I put the bowl on the table, and I sat back down next to Freddie.

As I got settled back into my spot on the couch, I looked over at him. He was watching the movie, but I could tell there were other things on his mind. It drove me crazy not knowing what he was thinking about. I grabbed the remote and paused the movie. He really must have been deep in thought, because it took him a few seconds to blink, and look over at me, with a questioning look on his face.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I want to know what you're thinking. I can see the wheel spinning in your head, and it's driving me crazy."

"So, you were watching me? Instead of the movie?" I knew he was trying to get me frazzled, but I wasn't going to give up.

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm just curious."

FPOV

This was my chance. Carly had just opened the door for me to complete one of my goals for tonight.

"Do you really want to know what I was thinking about?" Carly shook her head, so I took a deep breath and continued. "The truth is, I was wondering if there was a reason you asked me if I still liked you, at dinner."

Carly hesitated before answering the question, and it was my turn to wonder what was going through her mind, and if she was going to tell me the truth.

"The thing is, I only asked you because when I was giving my toast, I had a flash of you standing on the table looking out your peephole. Then I started to remember all the times you asked me out, and tried to get me to like you, and I guess I just wanted to know if you still felt that way, since you didn't do those things anymore."

Hearing her talk about the peephole, which was definitely not one of my finer choices in activities, sent a rush of blood to my face, and I looked down at my hands. After a few seconds, I saw one of her small hands extend, and she rested it on top of mine. I could feel my skin tingle again, as it had before, and I looked up at her.

"You still haven't answered the question, you know." I was torn about what to say, because even though she had told me why she asked, I didn't know if there was a certain answer she was expecting. I tried to think of a neutral answer that wouldn't expose my true feelings just then.

"I don't know Carls, I'm not really sure anymore."

"Oh, well okay," she said, and I couldn't help but notice a downward edge to her voice, which lit a fuse in my body. Was she really dissapointed that I didn't like her anymore?

"Yeah, I guess I just figured we were better as friends anyways. Do you want to finish the movie still? I think I'm ready for some mush." She laughed a little, and nodded her head. She pressed a button on the remote, and the movie began to play. Her hand was still on mine, but I didn't want to risk trying to hold it, and expose my true feelings. After a few minutes, she took her hand back, and my heart sank, only to start soaring again, when I felt her warm face come to rest on my shoulder. Her hand wrapped around my arm, and I couldn't move.


	16. I Finally Realize

A/N: I don't own iCarly or A Walk to Remember.

Chapter 16

I Finally Realize

A part of me wanted to cry when Freddie told me that he wasn't sure if he even liked me anymore. I had really blown it. I put my head on Freddie's shoulder, because it was something he let me do when I was upset. Then I started to think that I might have made a mistake. I wasn't upset. I was just confused. Freddie had liked me for six years, when I had done nothing but take advantage of him, and the fact that he would do whatever I wanted him to do. Hadn't I just been thinking about how one day he was going to make a girl very lucky? How could I have been so blind, not to realize that the lucky girl could be me? As I let this idea stew in my mind, something finally dawned on me. Did I like Freddie? Was I finally feeling towards him what he had felt for me since the first day he met me?

There were so many things going on in my mind, that I felt like I was going to explode. I picked my head up off Freddie's shoulder, mumbled something about going to the bathroom, and ran upstairs. I needed to be alone with my thoughts for a few minutes. I let the blanket drop to the ground, sat on the hard tile floor with my back against the tub, and held my head in my hands.

I sat there for at least ten minutes, thinking about the things Freddie had done for me, not just in the past two days, but over the last six years. I remembered the nose kiss in the studio, how happy it had made him. That was the one thing I could really say that I had done for him over the course of our friendship. Then I thought about him looking out the peephole, because he was always so excited to see me. I remembered all our talks, all the times he had let me cry on his shoulder. All the times he was truly there for me when no one else was. At that moment, I realized that I was an idiot for not realizing how truly lucky I was to have Freddie in my life. I also knew that it was going to be an even bigger mistake if I let him walk out of my apartment tonight without telling him how I really felt. I pulled myself off the floor, and walked out the door.

FPOV

Oh God, I did something wrong again! The way she ran out of the room was enough to make me want to go home. I reached over and paused the movie, because I figured she would want it eventually. That is, if she ever came back. For ten minutes, I sat on her couch, fiddling with my PearPhone, and thinking about how I definitely wasn't going to achieve my second goal of the night. How could I possibly spill my heart out to her when she ran away from me like I had the plague? I heard something behind me, and I turned around to see Carly walking down the stairs.

CPOV

I took a deep breath as I walked down the stairs. Freddie turned around when I hit the squeaky stair, close to the bottom. His face was filled with worry, and immediately I felt that guilt from before resurface. He probably thinks something's wrong. I just keep doing stupid things tonight.

"Is everything okay?" He really did look worried, and my heart sank. I could see the concern he had, and I knew that it was real. It had always been real, just like the feelings he had for me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm really sorry about that, I just got a little sick to my stomach. I didn't throw up or anything, I think the Spaghetti Tacos just didn't agree wtih me. I'm okay now thought."

Freddie just nodded, and I was sure he was mad, or something like that. Then I noticed that he had paused the movie. Of course he had. He really was amazing. He knew that I wouldn't want to miss any of it, even though I've seen it so many times.

"Thanks for pausing the movie," I said. I knew I had to make a move soon, or I would run the risk of losing him forever. Just then, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. "Hey, I forgot my blanket upstairs. Do you think I could use yours?"

Freddie pulled the blanket out from undersneath him so fast, that I was amazed he didn't end up on the floor. I thanked him, but instead of wrapping it around me, I sat down next to him, and put it over both of us. I looked over at him, and his eyes were wider than they usually were. I smiled at him, and pressed play on the remote. The movie started back up again, and I leaned back into the couch. At this point, our bodies were touching, side to side, from shoulder to leg. I realized that Freddie seemed really tense. I laid my head back on his shoulder, and with that contact, I could feel his entire body relax. It was as if the breath he had been holding in had just been released. As we watched the movie in silence, I formulated a plan. Hopefully, he would go for it. The part of the movie I wanted had finally come, and just before it happened, I paused the movie again.

"Hey, Freddie? Can I ask you one more favor?" He looked down at me with his brown eyes, and I lost myself for a second.

"Sure Carly. What do you need?" I took a deep breath before I answered him.

"Dance with me? I know it sounds stupid, but I've never actually slow danced before." Freddie's face lit up, and before I knew it, he had pulled me up off the couch.

"Freddie, there's no music!" He took his PearPhone out of his pocket, hit a few buttons, and a soft, slow song began to play. I didn't know what the song was, but it was perfect. Freddie, being the gentleman he was, took a bow, which of course made me laugh. I played along again, and curtsied, which made him smile. He held out his hand and I eased into his arms. I could feel the heat of his hands on my lower back, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He had gotten so tall that I was almost on my tip toes. I closed my eyes, and pressed my face into his shoulder. I can't even say that we danced. It was more of a sway if I was being honest. But it felt right. That I was sure of. The song slowed to a stop, and I didn't want to let go, so I held on a little longer. When I opened my eyes and took a step back, Freddie had a look on his face that I wasn't sure I liked. He looked confused.


	17. iOpen My Eyes

A/N: I don't own iCarly

Chapter 17

iOpen My Eyes

FPOV

For the past six years, I've been waiting for Carly Shay to wake up, and finally see that I'm here. That I've been here the whole time. I've been waiting for her to open her eyes, and finally see that I'm not just the stupid, nerdy boy next door. Now here I am, slow dancing with her in a dark room, and I can't even enjoy it. I try to empty my mind of everything except for dancing with Carly. I could feel her small hands clasped around me, and her face was pressed to my neck. I just couldn't help but think that it was all out of pity, and that's not how I wanted to remember winning Carly over. The song ended, and Carly stood with me for a few seconds, and then she stepped back and looked up at me. The look on her face mirrored the one I was sure that was on my face. She looked as confused as I felt.

"Freddie, what's wrong?" I knew I had to take advantage of the fact that she was asking. This was going to be the conversation that I finally admitted to Carly Shay that I was in love with her. I had never been more sure of something in my life. I just hoped that she wouldn't run away from me or something. I took her hand, and led her back to the couch. The movie was still paused, and as I stared at it for a second, I realized that the characters were dancing. I sat down, and she sat down next to me, sitting cross legged facing me. I held my hand out, and she put her hand in mine. For a second, I just held it, in case it was the one and only time that happened.

"Freddie, you know you can tell me anything..." She smiled at me, and seeing her smile made what I had to tell her a little easier. That's one of the reasons I had fallen in love with her in the first place. The little things she did, like smile at me, made me fall even more in love with her everyday.

"I know. I have something to say to you, but before I do, I have a question."

"Sure, Freddie. What is it?"

"Were you dancing with me because you feel bad for me, or out of pity or something?" Her face fell.

"Of course not! That's why you think I wanted to dance with you?"

"I was hoping not. But..." Here goes nothing.

"Here's the things Carls. I love you. I've been in love with you for a long time. I know that I stopped asking you out, and trying to win you over, but that's because I stopped liking you, and I fell in love with you."

"Freddie, I..." I had to interrupt her.

"Please, Carls. Just let me finish, because I don't know how long my courage is going to last. I know it sounds cliche, but I fell in love with the girl next door. I love the way you laugh at my jokes, even when they aren't funny. I love the way you cry during a movie, even though you've seen it 20 times. I love it when you turn red when you hear something embarrassing. I love it when you laugh so hard you snort. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, and no one comes close to you. It breaks my heart to see these guys dump you, and then have to comfort you when you cry, because I know that if you ever gave me a chance, I would never do anything like that to you. I could be your something real, Carls. You just have to open your eyes."

There. I had done it. I spilled my guts out. I looked at her, and she didn't do anything. She was just sitting there, staring at me. After what felt like forever, she still hadn't said anything. I knew I had made a mistake, and I could feel my eyes start to sting. Not the manliest thing ever, but at that point, I was just not in control anymore. I couldn't go home in this state, because my mom would interrogate me for hours about what had happened. I let go of Carly's hand and raced up the stairs to the studio.

CPOV

He didn't like me anymore. He _loved _me. What he said to me was the single most romantic, beautiful thing, better than anything in those sappy romance movies I loved. He was right. He could be my something real. I had been the stupidest person not to see that. I sat on the couch in the same position he left me, knowing I had to do something to let him know that I felt what he felt. I stood up, and started walking to the stairs, going through my mind what I was going to say to him that would come anywhere near what he had just said to me. I got to the third floor, and the studio was dark, but I knew he was in there. I walked in, trying to make as little noise as possible. From the faint light of one of our neon signs, I saw his outline sitting on a bean bag chair. I didn't want to turn the lights on, because I knew that if I looked at him when I said what I was about to say, I would cry harder than I was sure to with the lights out. I navigated my way through the darkened studio, until I was finally next to the bean bag. I heard a small sniffle, which made my own tears start.

He must have had one of his tech remotes, because one of the corner lights came on, and I could see his face. It was wet, and the reason for his tears was me. I wanted to comfort him, like he had comforted me so many times, even if I was the one who had caused him the pain.

"Can I squeeze my big butt on there with you?" I asked, nodding at his bean bag.

"Um, yeah, I guess."

"Ouch, you're not even going to tell me I don't have a big butt? That's not the Freddie I know." The corner of his mouth tilted up, which made me feel a little better. I lowered myself down, so that my legs were draped over his, and I grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together. He looked at me, but his eyes were flat, and that made me nervous.

"Now, I have something to say. I am the biggest idiot on the planet. I have been a complete fool for the past six years. I love that you used to stand on a table and watch for me out your peephole. I love that you sneak out of your apartment, away from your crazy mother, just to comfort stupid me. I love that you put up with Sam's abuse, even though you don't deserve it. I love your smile, and that dimple of yours that I just noticed. I love that you would stand up for me against anyone. I love this sweatshirt too, by the way." When he heard that, he started laughing.

"You always had a piece of my heart, Freddie. Now I think I want you to have the whole thing. I love you, Fredward Benson." He smiled the biggest, most beautiful smile I have ever seen a human smile, and I could feel my heart beating louder and louder.

"I love you too, Carly Shay. From the first moment I saw you, until forever." He leaned in hopefully, and I leaned right back, and as our lips met, we both jumped. The energy that I felt, I'm sure he felt too. It was like two live wires connecting, and sending a shower of sparks down over everything. The kiss was perfect. Not too short, but not too long either. My eyes were still closed, as I nestled my head into the crook of his neck, smiling. I could feel his smile too. After awhile, I lifted my head up and when I opened my eyes, and looked into Freddie's brown eyes, I knew that everything was going to be perfect.

A/N: That's it! It's finished. I hope that everyone enjoyed reading it, hopefully I'll be starting something else soon. Thanks to everyone who read the story, and a special thanks to those who reviewed. You guys sure know how to make a person feel awesome. : D


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